Acta Stereologica Acta Stereologica -  Volume 2 (1983)  Number 1 - Apr. 1983 

Topological analysis of dendritic growth at various stages of cerebral development

Harry B.M. Uylings
Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, IJdijk 28, 1095 KJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Dept Cell Biology, Health Sciences Center, Dallas, TX, USA
Ronald W.H. Verwer
Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, IJdijk 28, 1095 KJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Dept Cell Biology, Health Sciences Center, Dallas, TX, USA
Jaap Van Pelt
Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, IJdijk 28, 1095 KJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Dept Cell Biology, Health Sciences Center, Dallas, TX, USA
J.G. Parnavelas
Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, IJdijk 28, 1095 KJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Dept Cell Biology, Health Sciences Center, Dallas, TX, USA

Abstract

The value of a new method for the topological analysis of tree structures, developed by Verwer and Van Pelt (1983), is illustrated with the application of observed dendritic branching patterns at various stages of cerebral development. The new classification scheme of topological types facilitates growth hypothesis testing. Now, small sample sizes can be analysed efficiently. The dendritic networks of two major neuron types in the cerebral cortex, viz. Pyramidal cells and multipolar non-pyramidal cells were examined to test the terminal and segmental growth hypotheses. The analysis showed that during the various developmental stages the observations on both neuron types were in agreement with the terminal growth predictions.

To cite this article

Harry B.M. Uylings, Ronald W.H. Verwer, Jaap Van Pelt & J.G. Parnavelas, «Topological analysis of dendritic growth at various stages of cerebral development», Acta Stereologica [En ligne], Volume 2 (1983), Number 1 - Apr. 1983, 55-62 URL : https://popups.uliege.be/0351-580x/index.php?id=4083.